NFL Odds Week 12: Early Locks and Best Bets on the Schedule
It's Thanksgiving week, meaning football fans will get a veritable feast of NFL action before the usual Sunday slate comes around.
The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys will host Thanksgiving Day games, per usual. The San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks will face off on Thursday night, while the New York Jets will battle the Miami Dolphins in the league's first Black Friday game.
There will be plenty of action to track, and several wonderful games to consume. Fans should also find a few prime wagering opportunities along the way.
Here, we'll dive into some of our favorite bets, based on the early Week 12 lines.
Check the latest lines at DraftKings.
Lions -7.5 Versus Packers
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The Lions failed to cover against the Chicago Bears in Week 11, but they battled back in the fourth quarter to get the win. Detroit rattled off 17 unanswered points to overcome a 12-point deficit and claim victory.
A slow start and a trio of Jared Goff interceptions put the Lions in a difficult hole against their division rivals. Don't expect Goff to have as many miscues with another division rival coming to town.
The Lions are set to host the Green Bay Packers, who secured a win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday by the narrowest of margins. Green Bay escaped with a three-point win after Quentin Johnson dropped a sure touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter.
Expect a much cleaner game from Detroit this week, and the Lions are the better team by far. Detroit can be thankful for home-field advantage and a collection of playmakers—headlined by Amon-Ra St. Brown, David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs, Josh Reynolds and Sam LaPorta—that is too potent for the Packers to match.
49ers -7 at Seahawks
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The San Francisco 49ers are back to looking like one of the top Super Bowl contenders. The three-game skid they experienced before the bye feels like a distant memory, as the 49ers have notched consecutive convincing wins.
Quarterback Brock Purdy was nearly perfect against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday—he finished with a perfect 158.3 passer rating—while the defense made huge plays when it needed them. With Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle all healthy, the 49ers are again an offensive force.
The Seattle Seahawks, meanwhile, have lost two of their last three and were very fortunate in their last two victories. It took a last-second field goal to beat the Washington Commanders, and Seattle was outplayed by the Cleveland Browns before a tipped ball yielded a pick and an opportunity for redemption.
Seattle's defense has largely struggled to make key stops, while Geno Smith and the offense haven't been as efficient as they were a year ago.
The 49ers desperately need this win to stay atop the NFC West standings, and as long as they can improve their red-zone efficiency—they were 2-of-4 in Week 11—they should win by more than a touchdown.
Miami Dolphins -8 at Jets
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The Las Vegas Raiders gave the Miami Dolphins everything they could handle in Week 11, but Miami still escaped with a 20-13 victory. While Tua Tagovailoa and the offense weren't as efficient or as explosive as we've seen at times this season, Miami's defense was fantastic.
A Jalen Ramsey interception in the end zone sealed the victory for Miami, which now looks like a balanced and well-rounded contender.
The New York Jets, meanwhile, are a mess. New York is converting a league-low 22.9 percent of its third-down attempts, and it may now have a quarterback controversy. Head coach Robert Saleh was noncommittal about quarterback Zach Wilson following Sunday's 32-6 blowout loss against the Buffalo Bills.
Wilson was benched for Tim Boyle late in Sunday's loss.
"It's easy to point the finger at the quarterback, but it's pretty easy to see," Saleh said, per ESPN's Rich Cimini. "You've got missed protections, you've got dropped balls, you've got missed routes. Now, obviously, he has to get better."
According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, Boyle will get the start on Friday.
Divisional games are often close, but the Jets are scrambling for answers on a short week, while the Dolphins are riding some momentum. Miami should roll.
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